Although Bulgaria is a small country it has unique nature, ancient history, favorable climate, attractive holiday opportunities, amazing cuisine and affordable prices.

Location:
Bulgaria is part of the Balkan Peninsula in south-east Europe. It has common borders with Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and Macedonia to the west and Romania to the north. Its boundary with Romania is the river Danube. The eastern coast of Bulgaria is on the Black Sea. Through Bulgaria passes the main route which connects Western ans Northern Europe with Asia.General Info:
Full name: Republic of Bulagria;
Capital: Sofia;
Area: 110 993 sq.km;
Population: 7,5 million;
Official language: Bulgarian;
Religion: Christianity;
Political system: Parliament Republic;
Currency: Lev (BGN);
Alphabet: Cyrilic.Climate:
Bulgaria has four seasons. The predominant climate is the Temperate Continental Climate. The southern parts of the country are noticeably affected by the Mediterranean climate. The summers in Bulgaria are long and the winters are snowy allowing the development of ski tourism.
The best time to come here:
Most tourists like to visit Bulgaria in the summer since the hot days give them a great opportunity for vacation at the Black Sea coast. Fans of skiing, however, prefer to come here in the winter as the mountains are covered with snow and the big ski resorts have great skiing slopes. Spring and autumn are also very pleasant and offer the nature lovers amazing views. Both spring and autumn are ideal for spa or balneo tourism and sighteeing tours of Bulgaria :) Visa conditions:
Citizens of the European Union, the US and some of the South American and Asian countries need only a valid international passport expiring within no less than 3 months as of the date of entry to be admitted to Bulgaria.Travellers from all other countries wanting to visit Bulgaria will have to apply for the suitable type of visa.Money exchange:
The national currency is LEV, plural LEVA. 1 LEV = 100 stotinki.
One EURO equals approximately 1.95 lev.
One US dollar is about 1.60 lev, but is changing often.
If you want to exchange money, it is a good idea to avoid the change offices and trust to the banks. You can rearly see street dealers offering you "a better deal" (especially in the resorts). We would strongly advice you to decline such "better deals".
Debit and credit cards:
The places where you can use your cards to pay bills are marked (usually in the big hotels, shops and restaurants). This is mainly valid for the biggest cities like Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna and Burgas. Paying by card is still difficult in the smaller resort villages, where they prefer cash. The main brands of credit and debit cards used in Bulgaria are VISA, Master Card and Maestro. American Express is the least popular card. More:
• Bulgarian is the official language of the country. The majorrity of the younger people speak well foreign languages like English or German. A hight percent of the Bulgarian population speaks traditionally Russian which once used to be a mandatory subject in the school currculum.
• The population of Bulgaria has a negative growth rate due to the emigration of mainly young people. In 2005 70 % of the population lived in the cities, the rest 30% in the villages.
• Ethnic makeup: Bulgarians - 84 %, Turks - 10%, Gypsies - 4%, Other - 2%. There are small minorities of Rusians, Armenians, Greeks and Jews.
• Religion: Eastern Orthodox - 83%, Muslim - 12%, Catholic - 1%, Other like Armenian and Jewish - 4%.
• Time zone: GMT, London +2; Central Europeant time (Germany) +1.